TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES
by WOLVERINE25TH
Summary: Secrets are revealed as an old foe returns for Clark's blood!


NOTE: This story takes place during _Smallville_'s second season and after the story "A Dark Knight Among Us".

* * *

**PREVIOUSLY ON SMALLVILLE...**

"Clark Kent, meet Bruce Wayne from Gotham City," Lex says.

"Last night two police officers were mauled to death by some kind of animal at the Smallville bank," Jonathan says.

"I'm not that hard to find, Clark," Lana says. "You know, it amazes me that there could be someone like you out there."

"What do you mean?"

"Bruce pulls one of your disappearing acts, and won't even tell me what happened up there."

"Clark, get this...my contact at the coroner's office sent me the report on the dead guy, and I tracked his name through the net. He's a known criminal who did some time. His ID said he was Walter Simonson, but his real name was Jack Harrison. He has a brother Mark who as of yet has no record, but worked with a Dr. Richard Travis over at, ready for this, Metron."

"Metron?"

Before it can rejoin the fight, a dart flies into its neck. Roaring out, it transforms back into a man. Clark looks up as he sees Bruce on top of a cabinet with a gun. Bruce takes aim and fires. Within seconds, all the creatures are back to normal and unconscious.

**AND NOW...**

"Why so bummed, chum?" Chloe asks, drying her hair from having just come out of the shower. Lana lies on her bed in their room, a depressed look on her face. She looks up at Chloe.

"You think I'm a bad person?"

"Let me guess; another Clark spat?" Chloe asks, sitting down next to her. Lana sits up.

"He tried to talk to me at the Talon, and I completely blew up in his face."

"Over the Metropolis party?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know he may've saved us from those creatures, but at the same time I know he's hiding stuff again."

"As is his usual way."

"I feel like he doesn't trust me enough to ever open up fully. You think that will ever change?" Chloe takes a deep breath, and pats Lana's hand.

"Trust is a two way street. Clark's probably the kind of guy who's afraid if he reveals too much, he'll drive you away. You need to let him know that's not going to happen."

"How do I do that?"

"By not waiting for _him_ to tell _you_ how he feels. Maybe you should try something radical like, I dunno, telling _him_ how _you_ feel."

"Uhhh..." Lana says, nervously.

"We've been living together for a few months now, and it's more obvious to me than ever you got a thing for Clark...maybe if you get into the 21st century and tell him, you'll get him exactly where you want him to be."

"You really think that?" Chloe stands up, putting on a smile.

"I know for a fact there's no one Clark would love to be close to more." She nods and heads into the closet for some clothes while Lana stares blankly into space for a few moments. She stands up and rushes out of the room. Chloe doesn't turn, but she hears her leave, and a tear falls from her eye; her own words stinging her heart deeply.

Lana stops as she approaches the Kent's barn, hearing Pete and Clark's voices from inside. She takes a deep breath, wondering if this is really a step in the right direction. After all they've been through...all the grief she's given him, could they both finally get what they both wanted? Well, it's now or never, she thinks.

"Because he was hiding from Travis until the urges got too out of control, so he began following the basic urges and programming to steal." Clark bends down and picks up the front of the tractor, holding it up above his head.

"But now he's going to testify against them in court, which gives Chloe one heck of a story for _The Torch_."

"And ends the reign of Metron forever," Clark adds. He focuses his heat vision on the bent portion of the axle and uses his free hand to slowly bend it back into shape. "And with Bruce out of the picture, at least things can finally start getting better."

"Clark!?" Clark and Pete both turn quickly to find Lana standing in the barn entrance, staring at Clark holding up the tractor.

* * *

SMALLVILLE PRESENTS 

TOM WELLING

KRISTEN KREUK

MICHAEL ROSENBAUM

ALISON MACK

SAM JONES III

JOHN GLOVER

With ANNETTE O'TOOLE

JOHN SCHNEIDER as Jonathan Kent

Superman created by JERRY SIEGLE and JOE SHUSTER

Developed for television by ALFRED GOUGH and MILES MILLAR

"TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES"

Written by CHRIS BUCHNER

* * *

"Clark?!" 

"Lana!" Clark exclaims, dropping the tractor as Pete stands up quickly. Lana walks towards them, a puzzled look on her face. Clark looks at the tractor, then at her nervously. "Um, hey...hi...uh, I can explain."

"No, Clark, I get it. I understand. It all makes sense now...how you're always there right when I need you, how you do everything you do...it makes sense." As soon as she's close enough, she slaps him. "And I understand you didn't trust me enough to tell me. Goodbye, Clark." She turns and storms out of the barn. Clark and Pete exchange glances before Clark takes off after her.

"Lana, wait!"

"Oh boy," Pete says.

"Lana!" Lana stops and turns towards him.

"Clark, I came here hoping that maybe we could start to be honest with each other. Both of us. But now I see that you trust everyone else but me."

"Lana, please, it's not...you got it wrong..."

"Do I, Clark? Face it, when's the last time you _weren't_ lying to me?" Clark's shoulders slump as she nods affirmatively and angrily climbs into her truck. She starts down the road as Pete jogs up to him. He watches as the truck disappears around a corner.

"You _could_ catch her."

"And then what, Pete? Tell her she's right and that I've lied to everyone I cared about my whole life?" Clark shakes his head as he turns away and heads for his house, utterly defeated. Pete watches him walk away before looking back down the road at where Lana had disappeared around the bend.

* * *

SOMEWHERE IN METROPOLIS... 

A bus pulls into the station and its passengers begin filing out. One of them, an African American man of average build in a long coat and wide hat, walks over to a newsstand and drops 50 cents on the counter. He picks up the _Daily Planet_ and looks at the front page; the headline reads "LIONEL LUTHOR'S MIDAS TOUCH". The man scrunches the paper up between his hands and snarls.

"LUTHORRRRRRR," he growls out. The guy in the newsstand is shocked as the area begins to shake. Magazines fall off the racks and passersby are shaken off their feet. Just as quickly as it started, the quaking stops. The man throws the paper over his shoulder and begins to walk away.

* * *

The hieroglyphics depict more about Clark than Clark knows about himself. He stands staring at the ancient paintings on the cave walls as he's found he usually does when he needs to think. Joseph Willowbrook, a Native American tribal elder, told him they represented a story about a great visitor from another world, one who had the power to change it. Also, it told the story of a great evil that would prove a challenge for the good. Clark stares intently at that particular image; a two snake heads, one red one blue, coming out of the body of a man. 

"Trying to get a sense of understanding?" Clark turns towards to see Lex walking into the cave.

"Hey, Lex. What are you doing here?"

"Well, since my company owns these caves, maybe I should be asking you that." Clark smiles, and then it fades as he returns to the images.

"I wonder what they all mean."

"As do I," Lex says, eyeing the octagonal shape in a center stone slab as he approaches Clark.

"Then how come you haven't let Joseph back in here?"

"It's an insurance thing. My team is making sure the area is completely stable before non-Luthorcorp staff is allowed back in. Technically, you'd be trespassing too," Lex says with a smile. Clark looks at him and returns it. "I have to get to Metropolis. Daddy dearest requires my presence for a special meeting." Lex starts to head out.

"Lex..." Clark says. He turns back. "What do you think about...total honesty?"

"I believe honesty is a luxury some can't afford. But, in regards to someone you truly care about, it becomes a trait you can't afford not to have. There are limitations to how much you can really tell a person at one time. Good luck with Lana, Clark." With that he turns and makes his way out of the cave. Clark eyes him, wondering how he always seems to know, then looks back at the wall.

Out of the corner of his eye, he catches a flash of something. He heads over to the back wall and looks around. Failing to notice a rock sticking up out of the dirt, he trips on it and falls, landing hard on the ground and kicking up dust, some of it glinting green. He stands back up, but finds himself overcome with a strange sensation. His face tenses up, and he lets out a sneeze. The resulting force sends up a wave of dirt and dust from the ground to crash into the cave wall. When he opens his eyes, he notices that ice had somehow formed in the spot he sneezed on.

Clark shakes his head, wondering what brought that on. He stumbles a bit, realizing a dizzy feeling has come over him. He holds on to the cave wall as he quickly makes his way out. Unseen by him back in the cave, a small piece of meteor rock sticks out of the base of the wall where some of the dirt was removed.

* * *

The next day, Chloe looks over the latest edition of _The Torch_ on her computer. Clark timidly walks into the room and looks around, as if looking to make sure the coast is clear. Chloe looks up and smiles. 

"Hey, Clark."

"Hey, Chloe. Is, uh, is Lana here?"

"No, she didn't come to school today."

"Oh." Chloe looks back at the screen.

"What happened yesterday? She came home a little ticked and jumpy." Clark walks slowly over to the desk and sits down.

"I guess I said something she didn't li...wait, how did you know about yesterday?"

"I told her to go."

"Why?" Chloe looks up at him.

"You mean it didn't even get that far before you blew it? Geeze, Clark, you do move at super speed, don't you?" Clark stands up, confused.

"Why did you have to tell her to come by my farm?" Chloe freezes for a moment. "Chloe..."

"Clark, I don't think I should really tell..."

"Chloe, please. It may be the only way I can fix things." Chloe sighs, then looks up at him.

"She wanted to tell you she had feelings for you." Clark stands upright, slapping his head.

"Oh, man." He rubs the back of his head, realizing how much he may have just blown it.

"Sorry, Clark," Chloe says, standing up and putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know how much she means to you." Neither of them takes notice of Pete hanging back by the door. He turns and heads down the hall.

* * *

The Luthor mansion in Smallville stands silent, save for whatever employees currently work on the grounds. The man from the bus station, unfortunately, is unaware of this fact as he looks from the mansion lawn. His eyes glow green as he smiles sinisterly. 

"LUTHORRRR!"

The main hall doors vibrate violently, then come flying out of their frame and crash down onto the hard marble floor, taking out whatever furnishings happened to be in their way. The same fate befalls Lex's office doors as they go flying inwards, crashing through his glass desk. The man walks in and looks around.

"LUTHORRRRR!" he roars out. Two security guards run up behind him.

"Freeze!" one says, holding his gun up. The man smiles and his body becomes a blur as the house begins to shake. The two guards lose their balance, and the man spins around and hits them. He lets out a not-so-human roar and the house shakes again, bricks falling from the ceiling.

* * *

Lana leans back against the tree near her parents' grave. She had been here since Chloe left this morning for school, and had finally run out of things to say to her parents. Now, all she can do is sit and hug her legs to her chest. She doesn't know which emotion is the strongest one; the anger she feels that Clark can trust Pete over her with his secret, or the shock that his secret is he's not totally human. 

Her track record with "mutants" had not exactly been stellar. She fell for Byron, and he went postal when exposed to daylight. Ian tried to kill her. Tina became infatuated with her. She knows, and supposes she always has known, that Clark likes her as more than a friend. But, does she really know who Clark Kent is now? Or was it all just a façade like all the others?

"Hey." Lana looks up startled at Pete who's standing next to her.

"H-Hey, Pete. How did you find me here?"

"Clark always said this is where you came to think."

"Oh." Lana says, returning her head to its original position. Pete slides down to the ground and sits next to her.

"Freaked?"

"A little."

"Yeah, I know how that feels." Pete looks at the grave a few feet away. "Any interesting conversation today?"

"Clark tells you a lot, doesn't he," Lana says coldly. Pete looks down.

"Lana, it's not like that. Clark never wanted to tell me either. I just stumbled upon it."

"Oh, and he didn't try to deny it like always?" Lana stands up furiously and turns to him. "He lied to me. He's been lying to me for as long as I've known him! He made me believe that there was nothing that made him different from everyone else! 'What you see is what you get with me, Lana'." She looks around with a smile, shrugging. "And I believed him. I believed him like an idiot."

"Lana, he doesn't exactly have a choice, okay? I mean, aside from his parents telling him to keep a lid on, there are other reasons."

"Like what."

"Like remember what happened to Ryan? He could read minds, and look what happened when someone found out? They connected him to a buncha machines and used him."

"He...oh...oh my God, I didn't...I..." Pete stands up.

"And remember Roger Nixon? He almost killed Mr. Kent for a lousy story when he found out. Not to mention he was afraid of how you'd react if he did tell you. I mean, I wasn't exactly the poster boy for understanding to instill the confidence he needed to just up and tell all of you. As hard as this is for you, imagine how he must feel day in and day out. Trust me, it's not something he enjoys." Lana looks away and down at the ground, thinking about what he's saying.

"Pete I...I didn't think..."

"I know. Who could? I mean, this is total Sci-Fi here. But, there is one other reason." Lana looks up at him. "He blamed himself for your parents' deaths."

"What? Why?"

"Lana...how much honesty do you think you can take in one day?"

* * *

Pete opens the door to the storm cellar and leads Lana down the stairs. He reaches up for the light and clicks it on. Lana looks around, curiously. 

"Why are we here?"

"Because of this," Pete says, as he grabs the tarp covering an object along the far wall. He pulls it off, revealing the ship that 17 years ago had brought baby Clark to this world from wherever he came from. Lana stares at it in disbelief.

"I...I don't understand..."

"Clark isn't your average 'freak of the week'. He came here during the meteor shower. He's from another world, and those meteor rocks came with him."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want you to understand something; there's not a single person Clark cares about more in this world than you. He was just afraid that all this may lose you for good."

"I..."

"WHO'S DOWN THERE?" Jonathan Kent's angry voice shouts down. He quickly runs down the stairs with a shovel in hand, ready to use it if need be. He looks around puzzled. "Pete? What the hell are you doing!?"

* * *

The Talon receives the usual after school crowd as Chloe rushes in for her daily latte fix before she returns to the _Torch_ office. She takes her coffee from her server and is about to head out when the building shakes a bit. Chloe looks around, puzzled. 

"Odd...since when do we have earthquakes in Kansas?" Chloe asks herself aloud. The doors begin to vibrate violently before they rip off their hinges and fly into the Talon. Students avoid them as fast as they can as they crash into the tables closest to the doorway. The man walks in, looking around.

"LUTHORRRR!"

"Oh my God!" Chloe exclaims. He turns towards her and snarls.

"YOOOOOOU...." He grabs a support column and his hand begins to vibrate. The whole Talon begins to quake as portions of the ceiling come crashing down, blocking the doorway and preventing the panicked patrons from fleeing. He removes his hand and crouches down, placing it on the floor. His whole body begins to vibrate and a shockwave begins to move swiftly through the floor.

It kicks up pieces as it goes right under Chloe, sending her flying back over the counter into the espresso machine. She hits the floor, and the machine on top of her. He stands up and smiles, taking one last look around. Everyone stares at him, terrified at his appearance. Each one wonders what he will do next as well as why he hasn't done it yet. Suddenly, he raises his head as if he just had a thought.

"KENNNNNT..."

* * *

"So, that's the story," Pete says, sitting in the Kent living room with Lana and Martha. Martha looks back at Jonathan in the kitchen area sipping a cup of coffee. 

"I really wish Clark would have told us about this," she says.

"It's kind of my fault," Lana says. "I didn't exactly make it an easy discussion topic."

"Well, the point is you know," Jonathan says, walking into the living room. "Question is; what do you plan to do with this knowledge?"

"I...don't understand..."

"We've tried very hard to keep Clark's abilities a secret. We've seen too much to convince us otherwise."

"Mr. Kent, Clark and I are friends. I don't intend on risking him any harm."

"That's good. And Pete, I would appreciate if in the future you would come to us before showing the world that ship."

"Jonathan!" Martha says.

"Yes, Mr. Kent. I'm sorry."

"Well, there was no harm done, right, Jonathan?" Martha asks, standing up.

"Not this time."

"Actually, I don't know what to make of any of it..." Lana says, trailing off. Martha sits down next to her. She places a hand on her shoulder.

"I know. This must be overwhelming for you, sweetheart. It was for us as well. But, we're here to help you."

"Yeah, and you can lean on me too. I got some experience in this area, ya know," Pete says with a smile. That smile soon fades when the house vibrates a bit.

"What was that?" Jonathan asks. The house vibrates again. Dishes rattle against each other in the cabinets and the glass panes shake in the window frames. Jonathan heads to the door and opens it, only to be greeted by an exploding porch. He falls back on the floor, cuts on his face from flying debris.

"Jonathan!" Martha exclaims, running over to him.

"Mr. Kent!" Pete shouts. He and Lana join them, and Pete looks outside. He sees the line of destruction leading from the porch to the feet of the man who caused it; his eyes glowing a bright green. He wears tattered pants with burns on them and no shirt; pulsating green veins cover his torso and his arms, as well as the sides of his face. His hair consists of three rows of the veins going down his neck to his back. Despite the new look, Pete recognizes him instantly. "Dr. Hamilton..."

* * *

Clark's truck pulls up outside The Talon. He stares at the emergency vehicles parked outside it as he gets out of his truck and makes his way across the street. As soon as he steps inside, he sees the mess the place is in. Officers are scattered throughout the small group of people taking statements, while paramedics check out anyone hurt. 

"Chloe!" Clark exclaims when he sees her. He jogs over to where a medic is restraining her arm in a sling. She has a bandage on her forehead and a cut on her lip. "Chloe, what happened?"

"A in green vein like things. He started shaking up the place."

"Or more accurately, he had the jitters. Sound familiar?" Clark turns to see Lex walking towards them.

"Lex, what're you doing here? I thought you had to go into Metropolis."

"The police called me out of Metropolis. I returned to find my mansion trashed and now my co-venture. It's obvious I was the target."

"And I could imagine why. It's Hamilton," Chloe says.

"Dr. Hamilton?" Clark asks in disbelief.

"Well, some form of him, if my security tapes are to be believed," Lex adds. Clark's memory flashes and he remembers what happened the last time he met up with Hamilton. He had kidnapped Pete in order to lure Clark in and learn all his secrets, perhaps to find a cure for the case of jitters he developed due to overexposure to the meteor rocks' radiation. Clark had come to the rescue as expected and Hamilton was knocked into a table of his own chemicals, causing him to seizure out of control and apparently die. Clark was never able to find out for sure because the meteor rocks forced Pete to save him by carrying him out of the lab.

"Well, if Hamilton is still thinking rationally, he must've realized you weren't in Smallville by now," Clark says.

"But, where else would he go?" Chloe asks. "Who else in Smallville would he have any hatred towards? I mean, I know I exposed his Nicodemus thing, but he hardly creamed me. Ow!" she exclaims, grabbing her arm. "Then again..."

"Me..." Clark says.

"What?" Lex asks.

"He's going to go after me!"

"What? Why?" Lex asks with a puzzled expression.

"Because like you used to he thinks there'," Clark says, avoiding a detailed explanation.

"We better get to your farm," Chloe says as she attempts standing up. A pained expression crosses her face and she sits back down.

"You're not going anywhere," Lex says. He turns to the medic. "Take care of her. C'mon Clark, my car's faster." He and Clark run towards the doorway.

* * *

"Ugh...Hamilton? I thought he was dead!" Jonathan asks as he struggles to get up off the floor. 

"So did I..." Pete mutters.

"KENNNNNT!" Hamilton roars. "BRRRRRING KENNNNT NOWWWWW!"

"I think he wants Clark," Martha says.

"For what?" Lana asks.

"His gifts, but he's not getting him," Jonathan says, grabbing a baseball bat by the doorframe and stepping outside. Pete follows him and grabs a hoe sitting in the vegetable garden by the porch. They approach Hamilton, their weapons ready.

"BRRRRRRING KENNNNNNNT NOWWWWWWW!"

"Over my dead body!" Jonathan says.

"Yeah!" Pete chimes in.

"YESSSSSS..." His body begins to jitter, and he places his hands on the ground. The shock carries through the ground and explodes upward right in front of both men, sending them hard onto the ground.

* * *

Clark and Lex race to the farm inside Lex's car as fast as it can go. All the while, Clark sits in thought. 

"Penny for your thoughts," Lex says.

"If Hamilton has control over the jitters, how can we stop him?"

"The jittering runs down to a molecular level. It's like entropy; the molecules speed up creating the tremor effect." Lex says. "A reaction like that usually requires some kind of force or chemical reaction to stop. That or find a way to slow down the molecular reactions."

"Slow down? How?"

"The universal method would be to lower the temperature."

"Lex, stop!" Lex slams on the brakes and swerves to the side to avoid hitting a truck in the middle of the road. Both of them get out of the car and head over to it. It's in good condition except that the driver's door is missing and the dashboard is a mess.

"Well, now we know how he's been getting around..." Lex says. Clark looks to make sure Lex is looking at the truck. He then focuses on one of his car's tires and uses his heat vision. Within seconds, the tire explodes. "Woah!" Lex exclaims. "How the hell did that happen?" Clark looks up the road as he feels a slight tremor.

"Lex, you call the police...I'll run ahead." Clark takes off down the road.

"Yeah, sure. I'll catch up!" Lex shouts at him. He heads into his car for his cell phone, but stops by the tire. He crouches down and feels it, finding it hot. As soon as Clark is around the first corner, he speeds up to his full speed and is gone in a blur. Within seconds, he arrives at the farm, only to find fences destroyed and the ground torn up.

A few feet away, he sees both Pete and his father lying on the ground, while Hamilton approaches Lana and Martha by the barn. Clark runs over to the two men to see how they are, then heads to the barn.

"HAMILTON!" Hamilton stops and turns towards Clark. The two women look past him at Clark.

"Clark!" Martha exclaims.

"Mom, take Lana into the barn now!"

"Come on, Lana!" Martha says, opening the door.

"But..." Lana starts.

"Now!" Martha says, pulling her in. The door shuts, and Clark starts walking towards Hamilton.

"KENNNNNNT."

"That's right. You want me? Well, here I am." Clark runs at Hamilton and delivers a punch. Hamilton flies back into the barn and then onto the ground. Clark grabs his hand in pain and looks at it. His veins bulge out of his skin with a green tint to them, the typical effect when he's too close to meteor rocks. Hamilton gets up, smiling.

"YOURRRRRRR BLOOOOOOOOD..." Hamilton begins to vibrate and touches the ground. The ground kicks up and sends Clark flying back. Clark tries to shake off the meteor rock effect as Hamilton draws near. He looks in his direction and focuses his heat vision. It hits Hamilton, but only causes him to vibrate. He runs at Clark and grabs his neck.

Clark yells out in pain as his body pulsates, the radiation being absorbed by it. Hamilton smiles sinisterly as he forces Clark closer to the ground, hanging on tight. Clark tries to fight back, but becomes steadily weakened.

From inside the barn, Lana and Martha watch through the slightly opened door, both worrying.

"What's wrong with him?!" Lana asks. "Why can't he fight back?"

"He's allergic to the meteor rocks. Hamilton must be full of their energy..." Martha manages to choke out. Lana frantically looks around the barn and finds a fire extinguisher. She grabs it and runs out of the barn.

"Lana! Don't!" Martha calls. Lana runs up to Hamilton and strikes him upside the head. Hamilton stumbles a bit, releasing Clark. Clark hits the ground and struggles to crawl to put some distance between him and the radiation. Lana drops the extinguisher and grabs one of his arms.

"Come on, Clark!" she grunts, trying to help him.

"Clark! Look out!" Martha calls. Clark looks back to see a vibrating Hamilton reaching for the ground.

"Lana!" Clark pushes her out of the way and gets sent flying as the ground explodes. He lands on his back and catches the extinguisher before it hits his head. He looks at it and then remembers what Lex said in the car. He stands up as Hamilton runs at him again, vibrating and roaring like more animal than man. Clark stands his ground, a look of determination on his face.

"Clark! Get out of there!" Lana calls. Clark instead holds up the fire extinguisher and focuses, letting his heat vision cut through the metal on both sides and rips it apart, releasing the contents. A cloud of CO2 engulfs them both as Hamilton just about grabs Clark. Martha slowly emerges from the barn as the cloud dissipates, showing both Clark and Hamilton frozen in place. Lana brings a hand up to her mouth in worry until Clark moves. He flexes his arms, and is freed from his crystallized prison; his jacket shattering and tinkling to the ground in pieces.

"Clark!" Martha calls as she runs over to him.

"I'm fine," Clark says as she goes to hug him. He stops her, looking at the ice still on his body.

"I'd wait till I finish defrosting."

"Clark! Look!" Lana shouts. Clark spins around to see Hamilton attempting to move again.

"Oh no!" Martha says. Clark pushes them both behind him.

"Stand back, it's time to end this."

"KENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNT!" Hamilton sluggishly goes to lunge for them. Clark takes a deep breath and then releases it. He uses the full force of his lungs to send out a powerful stream of air. Hamilton tries to fight being blown back from the sheer gale force, but in the process begins to crystallize with ice.

"NOOOOOOO! RRRRRRRRRREVENNNNNNNNNGE...." Is the last thing Hamilton manages to say before the last of his body is encased in solid ice. Clark stops and catches his breath. Lana runs over to him and hugs him.

"When did you learn to do that?" Martha asks, looking at Hamilton.

"When I sneezed." She gives him a puzzled look, but he just smiles. He looks at Lana.

"I think we need to talk," she says.

"Yeah..."

* * *

Later that night, Clark and Lana hang out in his loft. He looks up at the stars while she sits on the bed. Lex had arrived with the police to take Hamilton into custody while Lex had unanswerable questions for Clark. Everyone stated the extinguisher as the hero of the day. 

Chloe was in and out of the hospital with only minor injuries and a sprained arm. Pete and Jonathan had recovered fully, both a little battered but suffering from no more than being extremely sore in the morning. As for Clark and Lana, there was one last thing to be ironed out.

"You could have told me," Lana says. Clark looks at her. "You didn't have to lie."

"Lana, I wanted to...but how could I? How could I really be honest with you when I don't even know the whole truth?" He looks back up at the sky. "All I know is I don't really belong here. I'm not human." Lana stands up and walks over to him.

"Clark, you are the most human person I know. It doesn't matter where you come from. You've risked your life to save other people with no concern for yourself...if that doesn't make you human, I don't know what will." She moves closer to him. Clark begins to tense up.

"Lana, I..."

"Clark, it's okay. For the first time, you've been truly honest with me. It's time for me to be honest with you." With that, their faces draw near and their lips lock into a kiss. The heavens look down upon them, these two specs in an otherwise vast universe, as two lonely souls finally find the company they need; within each other.

* * *

Somewhere in Metropolis, Lex looks on to the cryogenic tank holding Dr. Hamilton. A team of scientists work within the room, checking the various instruments as he gazes from an observation area. A man in a suit walks up to Lex. 

"He's in full stasis. There's no way it should be disrupted. The whole system is backed with multiple fail safes."

"Excellent," Lex says, turning away. "Make sure my father never learns of this, and keep him in pristine condition." He starts to walk away.

"What's the fascination with this creature, sir?" Lex stops and turns to him.

"While it's a shame that our good friend Dr. Hamilton had become nothing more than an animal running on the most base instinct of revenge, he may hold the key to something that transcends humanity, if no longer in his mind then his body. And if he does, I want to know how to acquire it." With that, he leaves the room, and Dr. Hamilton is left to his fate.

THE END

* * *

© 2002, 2004 Atomic Comics Group. 

Smallville and all related characters © Warner Bros.


End file.
